Demonizing the IRS leads to mourning

On Feb. 18, a small plane plowed into an office building in Austin, Texas, where almost 200 IRS employees work. This wanton act of violence killed Vernon Hunter, 68, an IRS employee for almost three decades. Others were injured, and given the enormous damage to the building, it is a miracle that more were not killed.

Hunter was a soldier who honorably served the nation and survived two tours in Vietnam to die a senseless death.

Sadly, in the mind of the perpetrator, it was because Hunter worked in a building that housed the Internal Revenue Service. IRS employees were demonized - lives no longer to be respected or valued.

It is difficult for some to see beyond the labels, to see the person. Hunter worked for the IRS, a difficult and demanding job. But he did his job fairly and he did it well. He was a dedicated public servant who respected taxpayers and their rights. He went out of his way to help taxpayers whenever he could.

And there are tens of thousands of Vernon Hunters throughout the country working at the IRS, helping taxpayers navigate a difficult tax code that we did not write and collecting the taxes to keep our nation vibrant and strong.

The person standing next to you at your daughter's soccer game may be an IRS customer service representative who answers complicated tax questions. The guy down the street helping with the community food drive may be a revenue agent who investigates wealthy individuals trying to hide money in secret offshore bank accounts. And the woman behind you in the supermarket checkout line may work at the IRS processing tax refunds.

For some in America, the IRS will always be viewed as a faceless bureaucracy. But they are wrong. It is an organization of hardworking people whose love of country and spirit of public service were embodied in Vernon Hunter - a spirit that lives on in them today. I hope that is one lesson we can learn from this tragedy.